https://github.com/tklauser/inotail

A fast and lightweight version of tail using inotify
https://github.com/tklauser/inotail

Last synced: 16 days ago
JSON representation

A fast and lightweight version of tail using inotify

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/tklauser/inotail
• Owner: tklauser
• License: gpl-2.0
• Created: 2011-03-22T09:29:36.000Z (over 13 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2011-03-22T09:30:29.000Z (over 13 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2023-03-11T17:28:50.024Z (over 1 year ago)
• Language: C
• Homepage: http://distanz.ch/inotail
• Size: 221 KB
• Stars: 10
• Watchers: 6
• Forks: 4
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README
  • Changelog: changelog
  • License: LICENSE

Awesome Lists containing this project

README

        
 inotail - inotify enhanced tail

o===============================o

inotail is a replacement for the 'tail' program found in the base installation

of every Linux/UNIX system. It makes use of the inotify infrastructure in recent

versions of the Linux kernel to speed up tailing files in the follow mode (the

'-f' option). Standard tail polls the file every second by default while inotail

listens to special events sent by the kernel through the inotify API to

determine whether a file needs to be reread.

inotail is compatible to POSIX and GNU tail. See section "Compatibility &

options" for more information.

Requirements

------------

- Linux kernel 2.6.13 or higher with CONFIG_INOTIFY enabled

- Standard C Library (tested with GNU libc but might work with others too)

- GCC (other compilers might work but are not tested)

Building and installing inotail

-------------------------------

To build inotail type:

	$ make

By default, inotail is installed to /usr/local/bin/, the manpage is installed to

/usr/local/share/man/man1/. To install the inotail files to these locations type:

	$ make install

To change these locations just set the prefix variable. E.g. to install the

inotail binary to /usr/ and the manpage to /usr/share/man/ respectively type:

	$ make prefix=/usr install

Compatibility & options

-----------------------

inotail is fully compatible with current POSIX and GNU tail, though the

obsolescent options present in previous versions of those are not present (e.g.

inotail +/-). The following options are present in inotail for

compatibility reasons (e.g. to use inotail as a tail replacement in scripts) but

do have no effect on inotail besides emiting a warning:

-s N, --sleep-interval=N  inotail does not need a sleep interval because it's

			  relying on inotify.

--max-unchanged-stats=N   inotail watches the containing directory of the file

                          when following by name (--follow=name or -F). Thus it

                          gets notified when a file gets moved or deleted.

--pid=PID                 Watching the writer PID ios not possible, because

                          inotail blocks on the read() call on the inotify fd.

			  In the worst case, the dying process wouldn't cause an

			  inotify event, so inotail would never get back from

			  the read().

These options are neither documented in the manpage nor the in-program help.

License

-------

inotail is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2

or later. You can find the full text in the file LICENSE in the source tree of

inotail.

-- Tobias Klauser